Subject Matter Expert for Public Safety & Institutional Assurance Physical Safety

Biography

Benjamin Hunter is the associate vice president for Indiana University Public Safety. He has a deep interest in community policing, something he developed while working as a community liaison for three different deputy police chiefs at what is now the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

As a member of the senior staff in the IU Office of the Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration, Hunter oversees and advises university leadership on strategy, policy and execution for a variety of areas designed to maintain an appropriate level of assurance in university operations and activities: emergency preparedness and response, administrative and academic continuity, policing and community safety, homeland security, emergency communications, university event management, and environmental health and safety. As superintendent, he is responsible for comprehensive strategy, policy and practices for public safety across IU, including the IU Police Department, which has more than 200 sworn officers across all IU campuses. He also is responsible for the IU Police Academy.

Before returning to IU in 2017, he was executive director of public safety, community relations and government affairs at Butler University, where he also served for a period as chief of staff to Butler University President James M. Danko. His law enforcement career started with the IU Police Department; he then spent 10 years with the Indianapolis Police Department before his transition to higher education law enforcement at Butler.